【推荐1】Weather change is one of the biggest problems we face, and it’s caused by us. We are destroying our own world and something has to change, but it’s hard to know what to do because it’s such a big problem! Today, we have 5 simple steps that you can take to help save the planet.

    1    

This doesn’t seem like much, but a lot of plastic shopping bags end up in the ocean killing the wildlife. But if you choose to use these bags, you won’t have to worry about your heavy things ripping(扯破) them!

    2    

Don’t leave the water or lights on if you don’t need it. Saving these simple things at home goes a long way to reducing our carbon footprint(碳足迹).

    3    

We may think that cars cause the most pollution, but actually the farms that make our food are no good. One of the ways to fight this is to eat less meat. Although meat is a necessary part of the human diet, we eat too much of it. Meatless Mondays is a popular idea for people who want to eat less meat.

    4    

We all know that recycling is important, but it’s far more important to reduce our buying. The more we buy, the more we throw away later. And recycling is still not enough. Before you buy something, think about where you’re buying from, and whether you really need it.

    5    

There’s a reason that education is the best tool to prevent all kinds of problems. Simply understanding the problem is halfway to a solution. And it is always better to know more. Stay up to date with recent news and what you can do!

【推荐3】A 12-year-old middle school student from Chongqing spent her last summer vacation protecting wild animals at a conservation area (保护区) in Masai Mara, Kenya.

Her unusual experience shocked her teachers and classmates when she shared this at a recent charity (慈善) event in the school.

Zhou Yang’s father is the first full-time worker from China to carry out protection work of wild animals in Africa.

As her father often told her stories about wild animals in her childhood, the girl developed an interest in all kinds of animals. Her father took her to travel around Africa for the first time when she was 4 years old.

She visited Africa for the second time at the age of 8. After coming back to school, she came up with the idea of protecting wild animals among her classmates and other students.

During the last summer holiday, the girl traveled to Africa again. “I am not a traveler this time. I spent nearly two months putting my heart into the research and protection of wild animals there.”

“Every day the birdsong wakes me up. Then I follow my father to patrol (巡查) the area to check if some animals are injured. If everything is as it should be, we start enjoying our breakfast,” the girl wrote in her diary.

“In the afternoon, my father and I work at our home in the field. In the evening, we begin patrolling again until 7 p.m. Then we play games beside the campfire. With the animals’ low roars (吼叫) in the background, we fall asleep,” says another part of her diary.

Love, a forever topic in human history, is also an everlasting theme (永恒的主题) in Chinese literature and poetry. What symbol means love in your country—the heart, rose, swan（天鹅）, or dove（鸽子）?

There is a famous classic Chinese poem, “Love Seeds”. It is a Tang Dynasty poem, written by poet Wang Wei. He used red beans to express his longing for one of his friends. Red beans are also seen as “love seeds” in China. As time goes on, Chinese people have been using red beans to express a feeling of missing between lovers.

Red beans have a strong meaning in Chinese culture. Red beans are often hard and come in a heart shape. They are similar in color to that of blood and can be stored for a long time. Red beans mean love and fidelity(忠诚). Men give red beans to their lovers to show their fidelity, while women wear jewelry(首饰) made of red beans for a happy life.

The poet wishes his faraway friend to collect as many red beans as possible, as the beans will remind his friend of the poet.

Instead of expressing love to others by saying “I love you” or “I miss you”, Chinese people are more likely to express feelings of love in a symbolic way in Chinese literature. For example, poets use pears（the same pronunciation as “离”）to describe the moment of parting.

Chinese people love to use poems to express their deep thoughts and feelings. The charm (魅力) of Chinese culture and words is shown by several words because of this.

【推荐2】

As summer comes, parents need to be aware that swimming pools can pose a threat（威胁）to their kids.

Know the risks: Drowning（溺水）is the second leading cause of accidental（意外的）death among kids ages 1—14. Many Americans don’t know CPR（心肺复苏）. A child can drown in under 5 minutes. 19 percent of drownings happen with lifeguards present.

What you can do: Sign kids up（给孩子报名）for swimming lessons. This cuts down their risk of drowning by 90 percent. Move toys away to avoid attracting（避免吸引）kids to the pool. If a child is missing, check the pool first. Ninety-two percent of children who survive（幸存）are found within two minutes.

【推荐3】Let’s enjoy the delicious buns!

Recipe

Servings; 8 persons Ingredients: *25g butter *225g flour (面粉) *1 teaspoon salt *40g sugar *55g mixed fruit *150ml milk

Steps: ● Preheat your oven to 220℃. Put the flour,butter and salt into a large bowl and mix them for five minutes. Stir (搅拌) in the sugar and fruit ● Warm the milk and pour it into the bowl. Mix together for five minutes into a soft dough (面团). ● Shape the dough into eight buns. Leave them in a warm place for around forty-five minutes. ● Place them in the oven for fifteen minutes,or until golden brown.

【推荐3】Peter was driving his car to meet a friend in another city. When he was about halfway there, he got into an accident and his car went into a ditch (沟). He was still far from the city. Peter tried his best to pull the car out of the ditch, but failed. He felt helpless and didn’t know what to do. Luckily, a farmer was riding by on a big strong horse. He called the horse Buddy.

The farmer took Buddy up to the car and called out, “Pull, Nellie, pull!” Buddy didn’t move.

Then the farmer shouted again, “Pull, Buster, pull!” Buddy didn’t move.

Once more, the farmer cried out, “Pull, Coco, pull!” But the horse wouldn’t move.

Then the farmer said, “Pull, Buddy, pull!” After hearing his name, the horse gave the car a pull and easily dragged (拖) it out of the ditch.

Peter was thankful to the farmer. But he felt a bit strange. He asked the farmer why he called his horse by the wrong name three times.

The farmer said, “Oh, Buddy is blind. If he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn’t even try!”